Syracuse is continuing to stockpile quarterbacks.

The Orange received a verbal commitment from Zach Allen, a quarterback out of Temple High School in Temple, Texas, according to Scout.com. Allen is the second quarterback and the fourth player overall to commit to SU in the class of 2013. He joins Pennsylvania quarterback Austin Wilson as future signal callers for the Orange.

Allen is a dual-threat quarterback, who passed for 1,753 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 766 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Allen led the Wildcats to a 6-5 record and berth in the Class 5A playoffs in 2011.

Brian Perroni, a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, said Allen was likely going to start seeing offers roll in from more schools once Texas’ top quarterbacks gave their commitments. Perroni said the quarterback pool in the state is especially deep this year, and bigger programs like Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma were locking up the elite quarterbacks.

Allen, though, might’ve been next on their list. 

‘A lot of schools were looking at him and had him as like the next guy they were going to offer,’ Perroni said. ‘He did go under the radar a little bit, but this spring he picked up several offers.’

Over the course of his high school career, Allen has continued to develop as a passer while his legs served as his most formidable weapon. At the Elite 11 event in Dallas this spring, which is a showcase of top rising-senior quarterbacks, Allen displayed that growth, sparking further interest from schools.

‘He looked a lot more comfortable in the pocket than I expected him to,’ Perroni said. ‘I think his senior year, the team will use him a lot more as a passer. …I think he’ll throw more than 200 balls this year.’

According to an article published by the Temple Daily Telegram, Allen also received scholarship offers from Minnesota, Texas State, Texas San-Antonio and North Texas.

Allen plans to graduate in December and enroll at SU in January, according to the article.

Perroni said Texas Tech had its eye on Allen, but extended an offer to another quarterback in the state.

In the end, Syracuse showed interest in Allen throughout the entire process and earned his commitment.

‘Syracuse was the first school to offer, and I think he really got to know the coaching staff well,’ Perroni said. ‘I do think if Texas Tech would have offered, that he probably would have gone there, but other than that I think Syracuse did a really good job with him.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on May 31, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman